MSF                                                  July 17, 2015

Though Ebola has faded from the news headlines, the epidemic in West Africa continues to claim lives today. Around 30 people become infected each week in Sierra Leone and Guinea – a number that would be considered a major disaster under normal circumstances – and the outbreak has recently re-emerged in Liberia.

• Liberia: After being declared Ebola-free on 9May, six (6) new cases have been confirmed since the re-emergence of the virus at the end of June.
• Guinea: 13 confirmed cases in the country in the week to 12July in three main hotspots (Forecariah, Boké/Fria, Conakry)
• Sierra Leone: 14 confirmed cases in the country in the week to 12July in three main hotspots (Freetown, Port Loko, Kambia).  

Read complete report:

http://www.msf.org/article/ebola-crisis-update-17-july-2015

Side Event in Support of the UN Secretary-General’s International Ebola Recovery Conference July 9-10 2015

United Nations Headquarters - Conference Room 3, 13.15-14.30 pm (1:15pm-2:30pm, ET), 10 July 2015

As a side-event in support of the United Nations Secretary-General’s International Ebola Recovery Conference, Ebola Innovation for Impact 2015: Game Change in Global Health Crisis Management will bring together thought leaders in global health and technology to stimulate creative, collaborative and catalytic action, and to address the Ebola crisis with innovative solutions in the key, inter-linked areas of: Community Engagement and Mobilization; Private Sector Contribution and Collaboration; Data Systems Strengthening and Coordination; and, Emergency Infrastructure and Logistics.

Speakers include:

Dr. Barbara Bentein, UNICEF

Dr. Arnaud Bernaert, World Economic Forum (WEF)

Dr. Vinton G. Cerf, Google

Dr. Denis Gilhooly, Global Digital Health Initiative (GDHI)

Dr. Michael D. McDonald, Global Health Response & Resilience Alliance (GHRRA)

1:00-5:00 pm, July 8, 2015

Manhattan Room, One UN Plaza, Second Floor

44^th St. and 1^st Ave., New York City

Agenda

On Wednesday July 8, 2015, an afternoon session will address Ebola response & recovery data strengthening, situational awareness, and coordination.  This working session will be held at U.N. headquarters in New York or a facility nearby from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Following are the proposed elements of the July 8 afternoon session:

1:00 PM           40 mins                        Opening Plenary Session

            An Overview of West Africa’s Current & Emerging Infrastructures

                        Barbara Bentein           UNICEF

                        Juliet Benford               Anthrologica

                        Sara Glass                   USAID, Global Development Lab

worldbank.org - Press Release

WASHINGTON DC, July 8, 2015—The loss of health workers due to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa may result in an additional 4,022 deaths of women each year across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone as a result of complications in pregnancy and childbirth. 

According to the new World Bank report Healthcare Worker Mortality and the Legacy of the Ebola Epidemic published in The Lancet Global Health today, the recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa could leave a legacy significantly beyond the deaths and disability caused directly by the disease itself.

“The loss of health workers to Ebola could increase maternal deaths up to rates last seen in these countries 15-20 years ago,” says Markus Goldstein, Lead Economist at the World Bank Group and a co-author of the report who heads the World Bank’s Africa Gender Innovation Lab.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)